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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



this period steam cultivation would now be the rule, instead of 

 the exception. Among the other parties who have tried 

 steam-ploughing before the rope made its appearance, was 

 Mr. Hanham, whose machine was made by Barrett and 

 Exall, of Reading, aud which was precisely similar to Mr. 

 Smith's mode ; but he, too, gave it up as a losing affair. I will 

 therefore, commence my observations on the rope system 

 by noticing the first of my plans for hauling, which, after 

 three years' experimenting on, I took out a patent for in 

 May, 1855. The experience I had gained having brought 

 me to the conclusion that the modus operandi should be on 

 the same principle as by horses — viz., by making the engine 

 and anchor move on each headland, to keep opposite the 

 work, and so be enabled to plough the longest furrow with 

 the shortest amoimt of rope. I felt by experience that this 

 was the only right principle to work on ; and I subsequently 

 took out a second patent, for working two engines and ma- 

 chine, one on each headland, forming their own anchors, 

 and still keeping opposite the work by moving forward as 

 each turn was completed. I would here observe that there 

 is no method by which so small an amount of rope in action 

 is required, as by this one. I mention my own plans first, 

 not from any feeliug of egotism, but simply because I waa 

 the first in the field, of all those who are now before the 

 public, and likewise because I wish to class the rope system 

 under two heads — viz., the moving engines along the head- 

 lands, to keep opposite the work ; and the stationary engines 

 whilst at work, similar to the thrashing of a corn-stack. 

 Mr. Fowler, although he commenced on the fixed-engine 

 principle, subsequently adopted my method, with the vast 

 improvement of using grooved drums with an endless rope, 

 and an anchor made self-acting. Many of you have seen 

 the simple and beautiful method by which his anchor is 

 made to propel itself forward ; and the same with the en- 

 gine, moving herself at the same time she is drawing the 

 ploughs, 60 that no loss of time occurs when at land's end. 

 The rope is an endless one, and, running in grooves, never 

 comes in contact with any part of itself, as is the case when 

 coiling on drums. The rope, by this means, is very much 

 saved from wear-and-tear; and the slack is given outer 

 taken up from capstans on the.cultivating implement. You 

 are many of you aware that with my second invention I 

 have made the engines locomotive, by means of a pitched 

 chain working from the crank shaft to the hind-wheel, which 

 Mr. Fowler is now applying to all the engines which he 

 sends out. My two hauling patent I have assigned to Mr. 

 Fowler, for him to work out; and these different systems, 

 together with another of Mr. Eddington's, using two en- 

 gines mounted on platforms, and removeable when required 

 for thrashing or other purposes (which is nothing more or 

 less than my principle in another form), are the only ones 

 I know of, working on the important principle which I have 

 before mentioned, of ploughing the longest furrow with the 

 shortest amount of rope. Mr. Fowler has likewise adopted 

 Mr. Eddington's plan when applying his principle of the 

 endless rope to the portable engines already in existence. 

 You will, therefore, observe that he is m possession of all 

 the plans offered to the public on this system, and which 

 has been appropriately termed "Fowler's long range." 

 The other modes that have been adopted, by rope 

 traction, I will class under one head. They vary 

 in detail ; but they are all alike in principle, and 

 have been aptly termed, by the facetious individual 

 who named Fowler's " the long range," as "the round- 

 about system. " I shall only mention those that have 

 appeared at the shows of the Royal Agricultural Society. The 

 first of these, Messrs. Fiekins', was shown at Carlisle, 1855, 

 which differed from everything that has been brought out 

 since, and as it has never been seen in public from that time, 

 1 conclude they failed in bringiag it to bear. The next year at 

 Chelmsford, Mr. Fowler and Mr. Smith were competitors for 

 the prize on the rope principle. I entered mme, but the terms 

 on which the prize was offered were so indefiuite, that I de- 

 termined to remain at home, and thereby saved myself a large 

 amount of cost. Mr. Fowler's and Mr. Smith's plans were 

 both ou the priuciple of the stationary engines, or "the 

 roundabout system," and they differed in this respect, that 

 Mr. Smith placed his ropes all round Ithe field, formiug a 

 square, and using his double torn for ridging, together with 

 his well ^ known grubber; while Mr. Fowler, by using ho- 



rizontal drums was enabled to place his ropes in a triangle, 

 thus saving a considerable amount of rope, and having only 

 one pulley for each, to guide the plough from one headland to 

 the other, that pulley being fastened to his well known anchor, 

 which was then drawn forward by the engine, when the plough 

 arrived at each headland, and was attended to by the men who 

 went with the plough. Some idea may be formed of which 

 was there considered the beat system, as the judges decided 

 to give Mr. Fowler another trial at Mr. Fisher Hobbs', and 

 on that taking place they decided against him on the score of 

 economy, as against horse power, by 2^d. per acre, he having 

 ploughed his land at Ts. 2^d., whereas they put that done by 

 horse at 7s., I suppose including wear and tear, very cheap 

 ploughing for Essex land. Such was the result at Chelmsford. 

 We will now travel to Salisbury, where Mr. Fowler and my- 

 self were the competitors on the rope system. Mr. Fowler 

 here adopted the long range, having found by experience the 

 cost of the additional rope required, the wear aud tear of the 

 same, and what was of still greater importance, the loss of 

 power sustained by putting the work at such a distance from 

 the engine, that he gave up the roundabout system altogether, 

 and appeared at Salisbury, as I said before, with the long 

 range, with the great improvement to his anchor, that it was 

 self actiug ; but with his drums rigidly fixed to the engine. 

 The result of the Salisbury meeting is too well known. 

 It waa never intended that the £500 offered for the prize 

 should be won at that meeting ; and the less that is said about 

 it the better. From that day the rope system assumed a new 

 feature. Mr. Fowler amalgamated my plans with his own, 

 went to Stirling, and won the £200 offered by the Highland 

 Society, and, moreover, has won every prize since for which 

 he has competed, amounting in the whole to the sum of £925, 

 together with the gold medal at Paris, and a high commenda- 

 tion for his second set of tackle at Warwick. At the Chester 

 meeting, Mr. Fowler and the Messrs. Howard were the 

 competitors on the rope systtm, the former ploughing 

 the ground, and the latter using Smith's cultivators, 

 manufactured by themselves ; but as their work was 

 not complete till it was done a second time, Mr. Fowler 

 was awarded the prize of £500, aud the judges in consider- 

 ation of the excellent manner in which the work was finished 

 by Messrs. Howard, recommended the gold medal of the 

 Society to be given to them. Warwick was the next aud 

 last meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society's trials of 

 Steam Cultivators. Mr. Fowler was there with two engines, 

 one using a plough, the other a cultivator. Mr. Smith com- 

 peted as usual with his grubber, and Messrs. Chandler and 

 Oliver were also competitors for the £50 prize, who intro- 

 duced a new arrangement of carrying the winding drums 

 on the hind axle of the engine, one on each side, then con- 

 vej'ing the ropes round pulleys fixed in a framework, and 

 working something like Mr. Fowler's at Chelmsford, except 

 that they had lour pulleys to run instead of two, and their 

 anchors had to be shifted by manual labour like Mr. Smith's ; 

 the result of these trials was, that Mr. Fowler was awarded 

 the £50 prize for his plough, and his cultivator waa highly 

 commended ; in fact, it is not too much to saj, and I think 

 every farmer who saw the work done by his cultivator will 

 agree, that such perfect work in tillage was never before 

 accomplished by any implement whatever. But we must 

 retrace our steps in some degree, in order to illustrate 

 what has been attempted, rather than accomplished by the 

 traction engines competing for the prizes ot the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society. The Carlisle meeting was the first at which 

 the attempt was made. Mr. Usher, of Edinburgh, brought 

 an engine of high pressure to travel over the soil with a set 

 of rotary ploughs iu the rear ; but on the trial it was found 

 that she could scarcely move herself on account of the rain 

 that had fallen, aud we have heard nothing of his plough 

 since. Mr. Boydell had his steam horse there, but for want 

 of some implement to cultivate the soil, he could only show 

 her powers, by hauling another engine from the field into 

 the show-yard. At Chelmsford, Mr. Boydell was again 

 competing, but was again without a practical implement. 

 At Salisbury he appeared in conjunction with Mr. Burrell, 

 of Thetford, who brought four 2-furrow ploughs; many 

 there present will remember the admirable manner in which 

 she climbed the hill, an incline of 1 in 7, and took with her 

 a supply of coal and water, for the day, together with the 

 ploughs for use. But despite this advantage, she could not 



